Door frame and brace therefor



Jan. 19, 1965 w. DANIELS DOOR FRAME AND BRACE THEREFOR Filed Jan. 28,1963 United States Patent M 3,166,164 DOOR AND BRACE THEREFOR WalterDaniels, 7610 N. Eastlake Terrace, Chicago, Ill.

Filed Jan. 28, 1963, Ser. No. 254,165

3 Claims. (Cl. 189-46) This invention relates to rigidifying means and,more particularly, to a rigidifying device for use with a metal doorframe.

Commonly today metal door frames are fabricated in a shop and thentransported to the construction site for installation in a building.Often the frames are twisted in shipment or are bent due to roughhandling at the construction site. Another problem with existing doorframes is that they tend to twist and warp outof-plumb as masonry is setin place adjacent to the door frame. Such damage to the door frameresults in an improper fit between the door and the door frame when thedoor is installed in the door frame.

An object of the present'invention is to overcome the disadvantages ofprior constructions by providing a door frame with a rigidifying devicefor preventing the door frame from twisting or warping during transportand handling prior to installation at thejob site.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a door frame witha rigidifying device for preventing twisting, warping or other movementof the door frame out-of-plumb during the operation of setting masonryadjacent to the door frame.

A further object of this invention is to provide a door frame with arigidifying device to insure that the door frame will be of a size andshape to fit the door intended for the opening in the frame withprecision.

The specific details of the invention and their mode of functioning willbe made manifest and particularly pointed out in conjunction with theaccompanying drawing, wherein: 1

FIGURE 1 is an elevation view illustrating a door frame and arigidifying device secured in position with respect to the door framefor bracing the door frame against twisting;

FIGURE 2 is a detail view illustrating the connection of a corner of therigidifying device to the door frame; and 6 FIGURE 3 is across-sectional view taken generally along the line 33 of FIGURE 1 vReferring now to FIGURE" 1, there is illustrated the construction of thedoor frame and rigidifying device of the present invention. At theconstruction site, the generally rectangular door frame 10 is adapted tobe suitably supported in the desired position. The masonry wall 12surrounds and is adapted to abut the door frame 10 on the three sidesthereof. The'bottom of the frame 10 abuts the floor.

The door frame is preferably constructed of pressed steel membersintegrally connected and comprises sides 14, 15, a top member 16 andbottom member or frame separator 17. The sides and top are made fromchannel-like pieces of steel and are suitably connected at the corners,as by welding. The bottom 17 is preferably a generally planar membersuitably connected to the lower ends of the sides 14 and 15, asforexample, by welding. The door stop or flange 20 extends inwardly fromthe sides and top of the door frame 14 and is integrally formedtherewith.

Means are provided for preventing the twisting, warping or movementout-of-plumb of the door frame during the operation of setting masonryadjacent to the frame 10. The rigidifying device or brace 22 of thepresent invention is adapted to be readily positioned in the door frameand is detachably connected thereto. The rigidify- 3,166,164 PatentedJan. 19, I965 ing device 22 preferably comprises a generally planarelongated member which includes a pair of sides 23 and 24 intersectingat a right angle with one another. The sides 23 and 24 of the member 22,which sides are preferably planar and at right angles to the front andrear faces of member 22, engage the door frame substantially along theentire length of the sides 23 and 24. A presently preferred relativelyinexpensive material from which the member 22 is made is plywood, thoughit will be apparent that other materials, as for example, plastic can beutilized.

As the rigidfying device is preferably made from wood to minimize cost,it is desirable to provide the corners of the rigidifying device withmetal end guards or brackets to'promote the wearability and thus thelife of the rigidifying deivce. Metal end guards 26 are affixed to v theplanar member 22 adjacent opposed corners 27 and Considering nowFIGURE), there is illustrated on an enlarged scale the details or aconnection of a corner of the rigidifying device 22-to the door frame14. .Suitable fastening means, as for example, rivets :30 'arelpro:videdto connect the end guards-2616 the'corners 27, 28, respectively, ofthe rigidifying-device'or. brace 22. Fas tening means or screw 29extends through a guide hole in the end guard and corner of the brace 22and engages the door stop 20 to secure a corner of the brace 22 to thedoor frame 10.

In FIGURE 3, there is illustrated a detail view, on an enlarged scale,of the connection of the corner 27 of brace 22 to the side 14 of themetal frame 10, such view being taken generally along line 3-3 ofFIGURE 1. Extending throughthe end guard 26 and the corner 28 of therigidifying device is a guide hole 32, which is predrilled at an anglethrough the end guard and corner. The guide hole accommodates the screw29 and directs the screw through the brace 22 at an angle intotheopening 31 provided in the door stop 20 of the metal frame 10.

As seen in FIGURE 3, side 14 of doorframe 10 is'of a generallychannel-like configuration and door stop 20 is formed integrallytherewith. Side 15 and top 16 are of similar construction to side 14.The brace 22 is adapted to be inserted in position such that the backsurface thereof engages the door stop 20 as indicated generally at 33and a side 23 thereof engages against the inwardly facing surface of theside 14. It is intended that the brace 22 engage at least two adjacentcorners of the door frame and further that the brace 22 engage the doorframe substantially along the length of the sides 23 and 24 thereof. Inthis manner, the door frame is braced so as to prevent its twisting,warping or otherwise becoming out-of-plumb during the operation ofsetting masonry adjacent to the frame.

By the present invention, there has been provided a relativelyinexpensive rigidifying device for insuring the building trade that thedoor frame will be of a size and shape to fit the door intended for theopening. After the masonry is set in place about the door frame, thescrews 29 may be removed and the rigidifying device can be disassembledfrom the door frame. The door can then be installed in the door framewith certainty that the opening will be of the size and shape intended.It is apparent that the rigidifying device may be affixed to the doorframe after assembly of the door frame so as to prevent twisting of thedoor frame during transport and at the job site prior to installation.

The above disclosure has been given by way'of illus-' tration andelucidation, and not by way of limitation,

3 and it is desiredto protect all embodiments of the herein disclosedinventive concept within the scope of the appended lclaims. a

.Iclaim: p p 1. In, a'rectangularddor frame installation. of the'typeincluding a rectangular metal door frame having peripheral side's and aninwardly extending door stop on at least two s'ide's thereofandpresenting stop surfaces lying in aplane transverse to the peripheralsides, a rigidifying device for bracin'g said'doorframe 'to prevent saiddoor frame from twisting ou t-of-plumb during the operation of settingmasonry adjacent therietmsaid rigidifying device comprising a generallyplanar elongated member adapted to lie in the plane of the door, saidelongated member engaging the said stop surfaces of said door stop andproviding a pair of edges intersecting at right angles and defining afirst corner which engages a corner of the door frame, said edgesengaging peripheral sides of the door frame substantially along thelength of said edges, said edges terminating in'second and thirdcorners, respectively, at least one of said corners engaging a corneradjacent the first corner of the door frame, and fastening means fordetachably connecting said rigidifying device in position in said doorframe.

2. A rigidifying device as in clai'm 1, including a pair of metal endguards affixed to said'elongated member adjacent said second and thirdcorners, each-of said metal end guards having at least one guide holedefined therein, and guide holes defined in saidvcorners of saidelongated member in alignment with said guide holes "in said end guards,said guide holes in'said end guards and in said elongated membercooperating to guide said fastening means into said door frame.

.3. In a rectangular door frame installation of the type including arectangular metal door frame having peripheral sides and an inwardlyextending door stop at the sides and top thereof saidsdoor stoppresenting stop surfaces lying in a plane transverse to the peripheralsides of the a door frame, rigidifying means for bracing said door frameto prevent same from twisting or Warping out-ofplumb, said rigidif ying'means comprising a generally planar elongated member having a pair ofedges intersecting at right angles and defining a first corner whichengages a corner of the door frame, saidedges engaging sides of thedoonframe substantially along the length of said edges, saidedges-terminating in'second and third corners, respectively, at leastone of said corners engaging a' corner of the door frame adjacent thefirst corner,

- of the door frame, said second and third corners each having guideholes defined therein and fastening means Referenc'es'Cited in thefileof this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 243,4q4 Switzerland May 15,1947128,696 Australia Aug. 10, 1948 932,159 Germany Aug. 25, 1955

1. IN A RECTANGULAR DOOR FRAME INSTALLATION OF THE TYPE INCLUDING ARECTANGULAR METAL DOOR FRAME HAVING PERIPHERAL SIDES AND AN INWARDLYEXTENDING DOOR STOP ON AT LEAST TWO SIDES THEREOF AND PRESENTING STOPSURFACES LYING IN A PLANE TRANSVERSE TO THE PERIPHERAL SIDES, ARIGIDFYING DEVICE FOR BRACING SAID DOOR FRAME TO PREVENT SAID DOOR FRAMEFROM TWISTING OUT-OF-PLUMB DURING THE OPERATION OF SETTING MASONRYADJACENT THERETO, SAID RIGIDIFYING DEVICE COMPRISING A GENERALLY PLANARELONGATED MEMBER ADAPTED TO LIE IN THE PLANE OF THE DOOR, SAID ELONGATEDMEMBER ENGAGING THE SAID STOP SURFACES OF SAID DOOR STOP AND PROVIDING APAIR OF EDGES INTERSECTING AT RIGHT ANGLES AND DEFINING A FIRST CORNERWHICH ENGAGES A CORNER OF THE DOOR FRAME, SAID EDGES ENGAGING PERIPHERALSIDES OF THE